The image of the desert via photo has shape and form but gives no hint of the vibrant life and subtle sounds therein.
I am wondering the naming of Joshua Tree park. Is there such a tree named "joshua" and, if so, how was that named.
Going to the desert sounds like another emersion into "fire" that you used to engage in at Thai restaurants in Chicago. Any similarities in the physical/psyche experience? In my later decades, my body tells me to stay away from both internal and external forms of heat and rely upon passion to sear one's desire to be "on fire.!"

Mormon pioneers are said to have named the Yucca Brevifolia species the "Joshua" Tree because the plant's twisting, waving branches mimicked the image of the Old Testament prophet Joshua waving the faithful onward to the promised land.

The Joshua Tree National Park is presently the entryway to the far eastern edge of the Los Angeles metropolitan conurbation. (I'll let this pass without comment).

As to your thoughts about the most sustainable source of heat, I concur. To continue with Old Testament terminology, the promised land isn't just over the horizon, it's the earth beneath our feet and, as you write, the passion in our hearts.